Cultural Assumptions
by Madrigal-in-training
Summary: "Jason. My name is Jason." "Er...What?" "Did it ever occur to you, Potter, that my name may not be two unassociated nouns connected together to form some random nonsense word?" Griphook decides to teach at least one wizard about the pitfalls of making cultural assumptions.


Cultural Assumptions

" _ **Jason. My name is Jason." "Er...What?" "Did it ever occur to you, Potter, that my name may not be two unassociated nouns connected together to form some random nonsense word?" Griphook decides to teach at least one wizard about the pitfalls of making cultural assumptions.**_

 _ **xxxxxxx**_

"And that's why we have no other choice but to steal from Gringotts," Harry concluded, looking pleadingly at the contemplative form lying against the bedsheets. "I know that this is a difficult choice for you, Griphook, but-"

"Jason. My name is Jason." The prone goblin corrected idly.

"Er...What?" It was clear that Harry hadn't expected this interruption. The goblin sighed.

"Did it ever occur to you, Potter, that my name may not be two unassociated nouns connected together to form some random nonsense word?" Griphook- that is, Jason- asked, with mild annoyance.

"...No?" Harry finally offered, looking a bit thrown by the change in the conversation, "Should it have?"

"Well, it would be nice if at least one wizard looked beyond their own prejudices, and made the effort to actually get to know a fellow magical specimen," Jason replied, "I assumed that since you were friends with that weird elf, you would be that wizard."

"But you _introduced_ yourself to me as Griphook," Harry protested, "How was I supposed to know that you were lying?"

Jason looked at him strangely. "...Would _you_ name your child 'Griphook'?"

"It doesn't sound all that strange when compared to Ragnok and Bogrod," Harry pointed out, reasonably.

"I think you mean 'Roger' and 'Barnabas' actually," Griphook corrected, before pausing with a grimace, "Although, honestly, Barnabas is a terrible name. I don't know what Aunt Eliza was thinking when she chose that one. We used to call him Barney the Boring when we were growing up."

"We?" Harry asked.

"My cousins and I," Jason clarified, "And most of our schoolmates. In my defense, Barney was a bootlicker of the highest order. And he wanted to be an accountant when he grew up. What goblin child considers _banking_ to be an interesting occupation?"

At Harry's sheepish expression, Jason rolled his eyes.

"You thought that Gringotts was the only way for goblins to find employment, didn't you?" Jason stated, rather than asked, "Don't be ridiculous. One institution does not make the entirety of a magical species' economy, Mr. Potter."

"Call me Harry," said wizard requested, as he made himself more comfortable in his chair, "So I'm guessing that there are a lot more goblins in Britain that people would think?"

"Correct," Jason answered, "Our current population is just shy of half a million, and is entirely self-sufficient, with most of the usual careers you would find in Muggle Britain. I'm currently studying veterinary medicine."

"Then why were you working at Gringotts?" Harry asked. "Unless the bank really does have dragons?"

"We do, but they're treated abominably by all standards," Jason's face shifted into what Harry believed to be disgust. "Take this as a lesson, Harry, that all societies have their shortfalls. I was working there on a summer internship. I may not agree with their dragon handling policies, but the bank pays well. It has to, since you get daily exposure to ignorant wizards and an unhealthy amount of sunlight. It dries up our skin like nobody's business."

"We mostly prefer living in underground cities, and only created Gringotts as an avenue to acquire the few specialized goods that other societies make and would be difficult for us to do," Jason explained.

"Are wizards your biggest trading partner then?" Harry was genuinely curious.

"No, that honor would belong to the merpeople," Jason grinned, "It's difficult to raise a large variety of edible fish undergound, and goblins have a great fondness for sushi. We mostly trade with the largest merpeople colony in the world, which is just off the coast of Yashima, Japan."

"That's pretty interesting," Harry admitted, "Why do you call yourself by that ridiculous name though?"

"See, now that's a complex question with a simple answer," Jason said, "Wizards like to live in a world of their own delusions. They're utterly convinced that we're some prideful, selfish, and ruthless warrior race, and expect our names to reflect the brutality in our hearts, or some such nonsense. Now I won't deny that the goblin race has its own brand of assholes, just like any other society, I'd expect, but it's not nearly as warmongering as that Binns fellow would claim."

"In this case, we just decided to give the wizards what they'd expect," Jason chuckled, "So my answer to your question is… customer service."

xxxxxxx


End file.
